In the previous message, I presented my thoughts on charity. Now I want to share my thoughts about business. PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan wrote about this on his Facebook page.

In particular, he noted: “I was established from scratch, without any influential friends, inherited capital. I started with a small business, I went through all the difficulties. I say this for one simple reason. I know the entire content of Armenian business first hand.

I say confidently. the business class played an exceptional role in the establishment, success and development of the Republic of Armenia.

From the very beginning of independence, from the stage of enormous difficulties in the 90s: blockade, dangerous roads, collapse of the economic system, financial crisis, war, it is largely thanks to the talent, hard work and patriotism of our businessmen that Armenia withstood the trials and took the path of development.

Our businessmen achieve incredible success in different parts of the world, enjoy respect and prestige.

I have publicly said many times that the backbone of Armenia is the small and medium business. The stronger this class is, the more it has the opportunity to develop, the stronger our country will be. And it is the task of the state to help this layer with the right economic policy.

I’ve also said that it can take years to build a business, it can take years of hard work, but it can take months, if not weeks, to break even.

I especially want to talk about foreign, export markets. In today’s world, no one waits for anyone. Finding a market, adapting is an extremely difficult task. Product quality and price are certainly important, but personal connections, trust, and established relationships are also important.

Now many of our exporters are facing serious problems. It is a big mistake to think that the issues will be resolved one day and the Armenian exporters will return to their traditional markets. Time does not stand still in business.

I warn you, everything is not so easy. Our places in the market are already occupied by others. They don’t even hide it, they do it openly and showily. Many Armenian products are now replaced by Azerbaijani products. I told about this process a month or two ago.

There are no permanent markets. If this continues, if the problems are not resolved, tomorrow Georgian, Azerbaijani, Moldovan, Uzbek and other countries producers will take the place of Armenian cognacs, wines, vodkas, cheese, fish, agricultural products, flowers, any other products. This is life, this is the cruel law of business.

And it should be well understood that this is not only the problem of businessmen. The loss of the consumer market will disrupt the entire cycle. Everyone will feel the consequences of this.

We really have a talented business class. I am always happy to communicate with representatives of small and medium-sized businesses. I know their worries and problems 100 percent. It is an indescribable pain for me to see the difficulties of this layer. I see the problems and many issues seriously concern me. I also see the solutions that will allow us to avoid the worst.

I put the political connotations aside.

The person who is being treated with obvious injustice speaks in me. Throughout my life, in my homeland, they try to present what I have created and built as unfair property. What I built was built from scratch, what I acquired was half-destroyed, half-demolished, and I built them into modern, highest-standard enterprises. Thank God, all the facts have been preserved. But in me now also speaks the person who made it from scratch, who at the beginning had nothing but his hard work and faith, and who, having gone through a very difficult path, achieved great success.

I understand very well what those exporters and businessmen feel, whose businesses, which they created from scratch, with the investment of their life and greatest effort, are facing the danger of destruction. Our state rests on these people, these people are the economic backbone of our country. Their benefit is the benefit of the whole country, their loss is the loss of all of us. The state should move with this awareness.

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